G7 Misses Historic Opportunity to Show a Strong Front on the Uyghur Genocide

  • May 23, 2023

CFU PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 22, 5:30 PM ET

Sabrina Sohail: [email protected] 

(650) 703-4523

https://www.campaignforuyghurs.org

Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) is disappointed with the statement issued by the G7 leaders in their Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué regarding the dire human rights situation in Tibet and East Turkistan (also referred as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by China). The tepid response from the G7, a group which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, sends a disheartening message to the millions of Uyghurs and Tibetans who continue to suffer under the Chinese government’s oppressive regime.

In the Communiqué, the G7 leaders state, “We will keep voicing our concerns about the human rights situation in China, including in Tibet and Xinjiang where forced labor is of major concern to us.” While it is encouraging to see acknowledgment of the issue, this statement falls far short of the strong and decisive action that is desperately needed to address the ongoing Uyghur genocide.

Executive Director Rushan Abbas expressed her disappointment with the G7 statement, saying, “The statement from the G7 leaders is a missed opportunity to demonstrate true commitment and resolve in addressing the grave human rights abuses taking place in East Turkistan. Voicing concerns alone will not halt the ongoing atrocities or bring justice to the victims. The Uyghurs need decisive action, not words. Forced labor is not just a major concern; it is a horrific reality for millions of Uyghurs who are subjected to exploitative practices in China’s factories, fields, and detention camps. The G7 leaders must move beyond rhetoric and take decisive steps to ensure that companies and governments engaging in or benefiting from Uyghur forced labor are held accountable.”

CFU urgently calls upon the G7 leaders to rise above political posturing and empty rhetoric and take concrete actions, including imposing targeted sanctions, implementing import bans on goods produced with forced labor, and launching robust investigations into the Uyghur genocide. It is imperative that the international community stands united and resolute in the face of China’s gross violations of human rights. The G7 leaders must recognize that the genocide of the Uyghurs demands urgent attention and substantial action. The time for weak statements and symbolic gestures in the hopes of encouraging the Chinese regime to honor its international commitments is long gone. CFU demands swift and resolute action from the G7 and the global community to deliver justice and end the suffering.

Picture of Jacob

editor-muyesser

Campaign for Uyghurs

We defend the human rights of Uyghur people and the free world by exposing and confronting the Chinese government's genocide, and empowering Uyghur women and youth in the diaspora.

Donate Now

READ MORE

Forced Labor, Coercive Land-Use Transfers, and Forced Assimilation in Xinjiang’s Agricultural Production
Located in the northwest of China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region boasts long hours of sunshine and ample water for irrigation — making the region geographically ideal for growing cotton. Cotton grown in Xinjiang, which has good coloration and long fiber, is favored in both domestic and foreign markets.
‘This Has Been Delayed For Too Long’
Source: RFA Rushan Abbas, a former broadcaster for RFA’s Uyghur Service and the director of the U.S.-based Campaign for Uighurs exile group, recently testified at the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in Washington about rights violations in northwest China’s
Uyghurs in Exile Launch Campaign Calling on China to Release Video of Missing Family Members
Source: RFA More than a dozen ethnic Uyghurs living in exile have called on China to release video of family members held in political “re-education camps” in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) after Chinese state media published what it
Tough Curbs on Burials
Source: RFA HONG KONG—Ethnic minority Uyghurs from the far-west Chinese city of Urumqi say authorities attach strict conditions when they release the bodies of Uyghurs who die in custody. Hundreds of Uyghurs were detained as part of a broad crackdown
I’ve fought China’s slow-motion genocide of Uighur Muslims. Now, my family are victims.
Source: USA Today   The world is finally waking up to the ongoing and terrifying violations of human rights against the Uighurs — a Muslim minority in Northwest China. My own family is victim to these violations. As both an American citizen and
Remarks by Ambassador Sam Brownback at Taipei Religious Freedom Conference
Remarks by Ambassador Sam Brownback at Taipei Religious Freedom Conference March 11, 2019 I would like to thank President Tsai’s comments and her for taking the time to be here out of her busy schedule. I can’t help but just
On Capitol Hill, persecuted Muslims unite to protect religious minorities’ rights
(RNS) — More than 125 members of the minority Ahmadi Muslim sect spent Monday (April 1) on Capitol Hill advocating for international religious freedom causes — particularly lending their voices on behalf of beleaguered Uighur Muslims. As part of its
As Countries Seek Trade With China, Imprisoned Uyghur Community Has Become “Collateral Damage”
China’s top trade negotiator is traveling to Washington this week as tension over trade intensifies between the two nations. President Trump is threatening to impose a 25 percent tariff on nearly all Chinese imports after the U.S. accused China of

STAY
INFORMED

Add your name to our mailing list so we can keep you updated about upcoming events, speciality drives, new initiatives and more.